First Day Highlights from the Big Time Tournament

LAS VEGAS -- Some great games were played on Wednesday at Green Valley H.S. as pool play began at the gargantuan adidas Big Time Tournament.

The 344-team behemoth features a 48 team super pool, and the Insiders Report camped out at Green Valley all day and caught many of the teams who are a part of this loaded division.

Among the more noteworthy games we soaked up:

FT. WORTH LIONS 64 LONG ISLAND PANTHERS 61

The Panthers, who were fresh off a tournament title at the Three Stripes Classic in their native Long Island, struggled with their outside shooting and fell behind by double digits late in the first half.

To their credit, the Panthers (playing without Lenny Cooke, who was indeed with the Prep Stars International squad as we first reported on Wednesday) clawed back to knot the game at 54 on a three pointer from prep school bound guard Darryl "Thrill" Hill.

With the game tied at 60, the Lions' P.J. Hatcher found teammate J.R. Harrison inside for an easy deuce to give Ft. Worth the lead for good.

With :36 to play, the Panthers' Jason Fraser was fouled, but he missed a pair of free throws.

Fort Worth point guard Deron Williams made the Panthers pay on the Lions' next possession, as he hit Hatcher underneath for a lay-in that pushed the lead to four. And that was essentially the game.

Hatcher, a burly 6-4 forward with limited athleticism but a ton of heart and hard work, led the Lions with 18 points. Seneca Collins chipped in 12 points, Harrison 11 and Williams eight.

For the Panthers, Charlie Villanueva pumped in 14 points, and Curtis Sumpter added 12. In addition to missing the late key free throws, Fraser struggled mightily on the offensive end against a Fort Worth squad that had no player taller than 6-7. He ended up with nine points, but missed several opportunities near the basket that could have made the difference in a close contest.

It should be pointed out, however, that Fraser was his usual stellar self on the defensive end, where he sent many a Lions' shot back to the perimeter outskirts.

PREP STARS INTERNATIONAL 82 BEACH BALL SELECT 79

In another white knuckler at the Big Time, unheralded center/power forward Lamont Hamilton tapped in a miss by Lenny Cooke with less than a minute to play to propel Prep Stars International to a three point victory.

On a team loaded with stars like Cooke, swingman Kelenna Azubuike and small forward Kennedy Winston, Hamilton's shot made the difference in a game that was generally dominated by the headliners.

Raymond Felton, being intently watched on the baseline by North Carolina Head Coach Matt Doherty, exploded for 38 points thanks in large part to nine (nine!) three point baskets.

Cooke was equally up to the test, scoring 21 of his team high 35 points in a prolific first half.

However, the difference in the game came down to supporting cast. While not a very deep squad, Prep Stars' top three was enough to overcome Felton and a yeomanlike effort from rising junior Major Wingate (27 points). This was the best Wingate has played in the past two years under our watchful eyes.

Azubuike rattled home 18 points, and Winston tossed in 17 points to push Prep Stars to the narrow win.

Prep Stars International led 69-57 midway through the second half following an Azubuike three pointer.

However, Stu Lash's peach and gray adorned crew got careless with the basketball and made some questionable shot choices during a critical stretch, resulting in an 18-4 Beach Ball run.

That run was capped by (what else?) a Felton three pointer with 5:05 left that gave Beach Ball a short-lived 75-73 edge.

And for all of the talent on both sides, it was the burly Hamilton who made the difference with his tap in on the offensive boards.

DC ASSAULT 94 NEWARK RAMS 89 (OT)

D.C. Assault lived the proverbial nine lives in this one, staving off almost certain defeat in regulation and emerging with an exciting 94-89 victory over the Rams.

In a game of runs, Newark led 75-70 with 2:22 to play following a Jeff Granger three pointer. But some tight defense by Assault and some costly Ram turnovers aided the late D.C. comeback, and the game went into the extra session deadlocked at 79.

A finger roll finish by 6-4 forward Ulrich Kossekpa and a pair of free throws from Eric Price were part of a 12-6 overtime run that gave Assault a 91-85 lead with :36 remaining.

Kossekpa, a 6-4 rising senior forward from Africa who plays exceptionally hard, impressed us with his inside/out game, leading all scorers with 25 points. Rising sophomore guard Tre Kelly added 20 and Price 15 for the winners.

Prep school bound Jeff Granger continued his aggressive play of late (a very positive sign!) for the Rams, ripping the chords for 24 points. Eric Wilkins, who sustained a busted lip in the physical war, chipped in 16 points for Newark.

BALTIMORE SELECT 97 EBO/EA SPORTS 94 (OT)

While the pre-game buzz may have been about the late addition of Carmelo Anthony to Baltimore Select's roster, the post-game chatter was all about point guard Todd Galloway, who ripped away the heart of the EBO defense by slashing his way to 37 points.

Included in that total was a free throw with :25 left in overtime that gave Select the lead for good. James Taylor hit a pair of crucial insurance freebies with :10 left that gave Select a three point edge.

EBO/EA Sports was unable to score the rest of the way.

Anthony, the 6-7 Oak Hill bound small forward who orally committed to Syracuse in May, finished with 29 points for Select.

EBO got a pair of excellent performances from guard and Cal commitment Richard Midgely, who popped in 28 points from the wing on his reliable jumper. Athletic forward Marc Pratt attacked the basket to the tune of 22 points and burly 6-8 power forward Davis (son of Bubba) Paris tallied 21.

Antonio Lawrence was a bit of a disappointment for EBO. Yes, he hit double figures with 14 points, but he missed some easy shots in close on the break and did not always use sound judgments in his shot selection.

Stay tuned for more comprehensive coverage all week long from Las Vegas!